Dental Implant FAQ

When it comes to finding solutions for your missing teeth, there is no better place to turn to than The Mugford Center. We have years of experience pushing us forward to be leaders in our field. We also care about our patients and want them to be comfortable in whatever replacement option they choose. There are a wide variety of potential solutions, one of which being dental implants. We know implants up, down, sideways, and inside out. We can take care of any issue you may face and help you to have a bright, stable, and healthy smile once more.

What is a Dental Implant?

When you have missing teeth, a dental implant is a small titanium post that we can surgically install into your jaw in its place. This post will act as the “root” of a natural tooth and can help not only allow you to feel confident in your smile but also to repair some of the strength in your mouth and jaw. Implants are a great option because they are very versatile pieces that can be used to replace anything from single missing teeth to multiple or your entire mouth. The appliances that can be secured with an implant, giving you structure, peace, and stability once more.

Are Dental Implants Really Worth it?

"After receiving a single tooth implant, Daniel is able to bite, chew and smile with confidence."

Daniel had the habit of carrying his dentures with him wherever he went. The lack of a tooth affected how he could chew foods, only taking small bites. Hot drinks were an impossibility for him, because they often caused painful blisters. After receiving a single tooth implant, Daniel is able to bite, chew and smile with confidence. He no longer has to remember to carry his dentures around with him, either.

What Types of Dental Appliances Pair with Implants?

If you are missing a single tooth, you will likely get a crown to accompany your implant. This is a single false tooth made with porcelain and metal or composite material that is molded to look and feel exactly like a natural tooth, blending smoothly with your natural bite pattern. Another option if you are missing several teeth is a fixed bridge. This may require multiple implants to ensure that it is stable and secure, but it can replace several teeth in a row rather than having to undergo a separate procedure for each one.

There is also an option to replace all of the teeth on your top or bottom jaw along with your entire mouth. These implant-based dentures have numerous advantages over traditional dentures, such as stability, permanence, easier care, and a non-restricted diet (and no flavor sensitivity loss either!). Our dentists will help you to find the best fit for your unique circumstances and will help guide you through your procedure as well.

Do I Need Bone Grafting for my Dental Implants?

Before you can get an implant, sometimes you must undergo a bone grafting procedure. This means that your bone density, for whatever reason (bone loss from aging, disease, or even genetics), is too low to be able to withstand the implant process or to be able to support the implant for a long period. This can be remedied with a relatively simple procedure. For this surgery, we must first choose a donor bone to transplant. We can take this bone from another area in your jaw, another area of your body (hip or tibia-your shin-usually), a cadaver (human or bovine), or a synthetic blend.

When that is decided, we will open up your gums with a small incision to expose the bone. This is with anesthesia of course. Then, we will decide just how much bone we need to implant, and graft that amounts over the bone that you already have. Then, we place a healing material over the site and seal it up. Once the bone has settled and fused together, we are ready to insert an implant.

What is the Dental Implant Process?

When it comes time to install your implant, and your bone is the right density, we will administer you a local or general anesthetic depending on your preference. Then, we will open a small cut in your gums and expose the bone. We will insert the implant there, and then that will heal over the next 4-6 months. You will wear a temporary crown/bridge/denture in the meantime, but when it is healed, you can come on back, and we will get you fitted with your permanent piece.

What are the Benefits of Dental Implants?

When it comes to making the decision to use a dental implant to solve your missing tooth needs, it is important that you know what kind of a difference you are making for your mouth. Implants are great, because they provide solutions for the common problems associated with non-permanent solutions. Let’s talk about dentures, for example. These prosthetics sit on top of your gums and can cause many problems.

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Prevent Bone Loss:

First and foremost, traditional dentures (both full dentures, partial dentures, and removable bridges) that sit atop the gums lead to bone loss. With nothing stimulating the bone beneath the surface, it over time deteriorates. Implants do not have this problem and improve bone growth and retention after their installation. They stimulate the bone in the same way that your natural roots do. Implants are longer and stronger than your natural teeth, which gives them an edge here as well.

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Enjoy Comfort:

Traditional dentures can also be extremely uncomfortable. They tend to shift and slide around, cutting into the gums or causing you to gag. Implants are secure and steady. They will not move and thus will not cause you to be uncomfortable. After they have fused with your jaw bone, you will not even notice a difference between it and your natural teeth. Implants are also extremely more natural looking than a denture system of any kind, as it utilizes what you already have versus making a new piece look similar.

What is the History of Dental Implants?

This discovery was completely accidental. Back in the 1950s, a Swedish orthopedic surgeon by the name of Per-Ingvar Brånemark was researching bone healing when he implanted a titanium cylinder into a rabbit femur. Later, when he went to remove it, he found that the bone had begun fusing to the titanium. This discovery inspired him to conduct further research, and he eventually developed dental implants. The first dental implants were successfully placed in a human in 1965.

What are the Types of Dental Implant Materials?

Ever since the initial discovery of dental implanters, further research has been done, and improvements are constantly being made. One of the major improvements made was with the titanium itself.

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Titanium Implants:

The first implants were made of pure titanium. However, this material proved to be too soft, so the latest implants are made of a titanium alloy. The addition of other metals has greatly improved the strength and stability of the posts. Titanium implants make up 95% of the total number of implants placed, and they have a success rate of 98%.

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Zirconia Implants:

Better known as zirconia implants, zirconium oxide is a metal-free implant, commonly referred to as a ceramic implant. While considered metal-free, these implants do contain trace amounts of metals, which are necessary for strength. Just like titanium implants, your jawbone fuses to zirconia posts, and research has shown that these implants can be stable and reliable.

What is the Best Implant Material?

Even though titanium implants are so successful, they are not always the best solution for everyone. There are some individuals missing teeth who are allergic to metals. There are also those who have lost teeth and want the benefits of dental implants but are wary about having metal implanted into their body. These concerns have spurred on research into alternative materials, which has led to the discovery of zirconium oxide. Both titanium implants and zirconia implants are biocompatible and integrate well into your jaw. They are both able to provide stable support for your replacement teeth. However, is one better than the other?

Titanium Advantages

Titanium dental implants are the original modern-day implants. They have been in use since the discovery of osseointegration, or the process in which bone fuses to the material.

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Titanium implants have the major advantage of having many years of research and development behind them, and they are much better understood.

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Titanium implants are also available as one-piece and two-piece implants. Two-piece implants allow the posts to be placed in your jaw at an angle, while still keeping your crowns in proper alignment, allowing the implants to take advantage of your existing bone mass for maximum contact. This makes titanium implants a very versatile treatment.

Zirconia Advantages

Zirconia implants may not have the same number of years behind it, but it does offer its advantages.

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Along with being metal-free, these ceramic implants match the color of ceramic crowns, whereas titanium posts are silver.

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If you have naturally thin gum tissue, or you experience gum recession, the zirconia posts look like your natural teeth and are not noticeable. However, these implants are only available in single piece implants. This means that they are more restrictive in the situations in which they can be used.

Schedule Your Dental Implant Consultation

The Mugford Center wants to help you be comfortable once again. The longer you go without getting an implant, the more bone you lose. While implants may sound intimidating, we can assure you that you are perfectly safe and that no one will take better care of you than we will. Our staff is caring and knowledgeable and would be more than happy to make accommodations to ensure you feel welcome in our office. If you have any questions about dental implants or our services, just give us a call today!